Baskets of wrinkled shirts, blouses, and blazers that filled the penthouse at the Cooper Square Hotel slowly emptied as three Rowenta brand ambassadors steamed, ironed, and starched them flat in a series of demonstrations for editors on Tuesday afternoon.
The trio, armed with with almost a dozen Rowenta products—including a few new releases and some that won't be available until later in the year—walked editors through the garment-treating process. Rowenta "queen of steam" Barbara Zagnoni, in particular, saw a lot of attendees linger at her station. With enthusiasm that could have made informercial icon Billy Mays look apathetic, Zagnoni invited guests behind her board to try out the products for themselves. She watched over them, a bottle of Niagra spray starch at the ready.
To emphasize the product line and the brand's history, parent company Groupe SEB had event designers 13 Designs create a backdrop that illustrated Rowenta's 100 years in business with museum-style display cases of iron prototypes and a transparent time line against the hotel room's 360-degree views. Groupe SEB marketing director for linen care products Jeff Patton and director of marketing communications Michelle Lupton requested minimal decor to keep the demonstrations the focus of the event.
Each of the 41 editors who stopped by throughout the day also left with a chance to put the tutorials to use. Gift bags included a Rowenta travel iron.
